New Achievments

[Rabben]

Today I visited the local mens wear shop, where they actually had some fur felt hats that were for sale very cheap (because no one wears hats in the countryside in Norway anymore). And I couldn't let that chance pass by. So I bought two hats that the seller told me was probably from the 50's or 60's. Since I'm not very drilled in recognizing which era hats are from. Maybe some of you could help me?
Also, both of the hats are size 58cm (though the green one seems bigger than the brown), which is to small for me when i use 60cm. Can I stretch the hats so that they fit? Can i wet them and pull them over my homburg (who is quite stiff) since I have no equipment for blocking hats?

[/url][/IMG]

[/url][/IMG]

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Today I visited the local mens wear shop, where they actually had some fur felt hats that were for sale very cheap (because no one wears hats in the countryside in Norway anymore). And I couldn't let that chance pass by. So I bought two hats that the seller told me was probably from the 50's or 60's. Since I'm not very drilled in recognizing which era hats are from. Maybe some of you could help me?
Also, both of the hats are size 58cm (though the green one seems bigger than the brown), which is to small for me when i use 60cm. Can I stretch the hats so that they fit? Can i wet them and pull them over my homburg (who is quite stiff) since I have no equipment for blocking hats?

[/url][/IMG]

[/url][/IMG]

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to stretch a smaller hat over a larger one (even a stiff larger one). Assuming your homburg fits, a hat stretched over it would be too big. You're going to need some kind of equipment. Two centimenters is a big stretch! The minimum equipment that will do the job is a "hat jack" (the most common stretcher). Wet the hat, and go up a little at a time, letting the hat dry fully, each time. (Shrinking happens right about the time the felt becomes dry!) I would also recommend clipping the rear seam, to avoid splitting the sweatband at some other point. You will end up with a gap in back, but nobody sees it when it's on your head.

 

[Rabben]

I see. But can I make a template of my head size in wood (just a bit smaller for the first stretch) and the steam the hat and pull it over the template for drying, and after that pull it over a slightly larger template for the last stretch?